


I Got You

by Carebeark5



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 17:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17047307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carebeark5/pseuds/Carebeark5
Summary: Mariah wants to do something special for Tessa. (Started off as a fluffy Christmas fic but spiraled into something else)





	I Got You

Mariah heard the sound of the key in the lock signaling that Tessa was home. She had gone out early that morning hoping to find a job by the end of the day. Mariah finally had her first rare day off in a while and she planned to make the most of it. She wanted to do something special for Tessa, something to help her forget at least for a little while what had happened to her in those woods. She knew Tessa was traumatized by what they had done to her and she hated it, hated seeing her draw back inside herself. She put on a brave face but Mariah knew it was all an act. Every night since, she woke in the night screaming or crying out in her sleep and Mariah could tell she was exhausted. 

She just felt so helpless whenever it happened because although she would do anything to take away her nightmares or the fact that she now jumped at every little thing she also knew it wouldn't be that easy. They still had a lot to talk about and she needed Tessa to open up to her more, to let her know when she was scared or upset. But most of all she needed Tessa to be honest with her from now on. She wanted to know more about her past, she needed to know what had happened to make her so guarded. But Christmas was only two weeks away and they could put all that aside and just enjoy this time together. Their first Christmas as a couple, their first Christmas in their new place.

"Mariah," Tessa called out unsure if she was even home. She knew Mariah had the day off and she desperately wanted to be able to just spend the day together but she needed a job if she was going to be able to pay her share of the rent. 

"Hey, you." Mariah greeted her with a smile as she pushed her way through the beaded curtain separating the kitchen from the living room.

Wow, you look adorable." Tessa said seeing what her girlfriend was wearing. Mariah was decked out in a red Christmas onesie with the words "Go Elf Yourself" written across the front pocket.

"Good 'cause I got you one too, " she said pulling a second one out of the shopping bag on the floor near the couch.

"What? Really?" She was surprised Mariah had thought of her, they were on shaky ground as of late and she hated it. But to be fair it was her own fault, she had caused a lot of trouble and in the process hurt the one person she cared for the most. 

"Yes, now go put it on I have another surprise." She said handing it to her before shooing her off the go change.

Tessa quickly slipped on the onesie and looking in the mirror at herself she couldn't help but laugh. They had matching red onesies but on the pocket of Tessa's were the words, "Eggnog made me do it." 

"We match," she said coming back into the living room still laughing at how ridiculous they looked. 

"Did you see the best part?" Mariah asked flipping up the hood to show the reindeer antlers. "They are horrible, aren't they."

"Yes, but at least we look ridiculous together." Just then Tessa remembered that Mariah had mentioned another surprise earlier. "So, what was the other surprise?" 

"Well I was thinking it's almost Christmas and this apartment is really lacking in Christmas decor. I mean you would think the Grinch lived here. So, I thought we should definitely fix that sooo...." she said leaning behind the couch to grab a tiny tree she had bought along with some decorations for the rest of their apartment.

"A tree," Tessa exclaimed. "I've never actually decorated a tree before."

"What, are you serious?" Mariah knew a little about Tessa's past but she never imagined she had never even decorated a tree before. 

"It was always just Crystal and I and we couldn't afford a tree. We usually just bought or made each other something small and that was it."

"Well, then we need to fix that." Now she knew she needed to make this Christmas the best one ever for Tessa. She couldn't even imagine spending Christmas without a tree, or decorations, or the food. Even she had Christmas' before coming to Genoa City and Christmas was such a big deal with the Newman's. "I got a bunch of decorations for the tree and some we can place around the room although we don't have much of it."

"I like our cozy, little place." 

"Me too." Mariah missed this, missed them being together and happy for once. She wanted them to get back to that place, the place they were at before all this drama had happened and she hoped and prayed that they would be able to get there. 

Tessa had always wanted this as a child to be able to have a real Christmas and she would have given anything to have it, to have a real family. But the only family she had was her sister, she was the only one she was able to count on and to completely be herself with. But then Mariah had walked into her life and changed all that. She finally had someone else who cared about her and who she loved with all her heart but she had still gone and messed it all up. She messed everything up again and that seemed to be all she ever did.

"Hey, Tessa, where'd you go just now?" Mariah asked seeing Tessa's far away look. She had been about to hand her the end of the string of Christmas lights but she seemed to be lost in thought.

"Oh uh...nowhere." She replied taking the offered end and wrapping it around the tree.

"No, I know that look something's wrong. What is it, you can tell me."

"I...I just always wanted this growing up."

"What decorating a tree?" Mariah reached over and wrapped an arm around Tessa's shoulders when she noticed tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. She gently urged her to continue.

Tessa knew she needed to finally open up to her girlfriend, she needed to help her understand why she was so guarded, why she didn't trust easily and why she was so messed up. She hated going down that road which was why she put so much distance between her old life and her new one. But she knew that if she didn't tell Mariah the truth from now on she might lose her for good. "I used to look out my bedroom window and I could see into the neighbors living room they were decorating their tree and laughing, just spending time together as a family or when the kids at school talked about their parents taking them to see Santa at the mall. My parents..." Tessa paused wiping the tears that fell on the sleeve of her pajamas.

"Mariah kissed her cheek and pulled her closer. " She needed to know about Tessa's past, she needed her to continue opening up and not close herself off again.

"They weren't really parents they never wanted kids they were just unlucky. My dad was a mean drunk and he used to take it out on my mother and when she wasn't around he turned on me or Crystal. I always tried to protect her so I took a majority of the beatings. Um...whenever I went to school I had to hide the bruises. I had to lie about why I didn't have a lunch that day or why I had to wear the same clothes two days in a row."

"Baby I'm so sorry I didn't know it was that bad."

"I try not to think about it. I came here to put all that behind me and to make a better life for me and my sister."

"I know," Mariah nodded and stroked her hair gently. "But the past has a way of springing up on you doesn't it."

"Yeah, well you know all that now but the reason I don't trust easily is that everyone always let me down. My parents, my friends who weren't really friends at all, my teachers who found out I was being abused but did nothing about it. I couldn't trust anyone but my sister because whenever I let those walls down and tried to let someone in they always let me down. I had to take care of myself because no one else would."

"You have me now and I'll always take care of you, you can trust me on that one," Mariah said lifting her chin so she was looking directly into her eyes. "I will prove it to you every day if I have to, every day until you believe it." Mariah wrapped Tessa in her arms and just let her cry. She had needed this to be able to let it all out and to finally let the past go. Now they could finally move forward. Now that Mariah knew why Tessa always believed she didn't deserve love, why she felt like she wasn't good enough, why she kept so many secrets. 

Tessa pulled back and looked up at Mariah sniffling a little, "Can we go back to decorating now?" she asked.

"Yes, yes we can." She wiped the tears from Tessa's face and they moved back over to the tree and finished wrapping the lights through the branches.

"Look at this one," Mariah said pulling out one of the decorations she had found. "This one's yours." Tessa smiled as she hung the tiny guitar on the tree.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you. For loving me."

They spent the rest of the night decorating the tree and then settled on the couch with hot chocolate to watch some Christmas movies. Tessa couldn't remember ever being this happy in her life. She finally had the Christmas she had always wanted and she got to spend it with the person she loved the most. The person who even though she let her down one too many times had forgiven her and stayed by her side. The person who finally helped her to let go of the past and move forward as a new person, a better person.


End file.
